I Won!
by Ally-Marty
Summary: A Princess Ben fanfic. Florian tells the story from his POV. **On Hiatus**
1. Prologue: The Toast

**I Won!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Princess Ben - Catherine Gilbert Murdock does and I thank her for my latest "playground."**

Prologue: "The Toast"

Florian, King of Drachensbett and Prince Consort to Montagne, rose from his chair at the head of the long banquet table. He looked splendid, wearing a black brocade tunic over a scarlet silk blouse and hose, with the intertwined Drachensbett Dragon and Montagne Hedgehog seal of state embroidered on his tunic in gold thread. His posture was still erect and the touch of gray at his temples, curling slightly over the edge of his crown, only added to his handsome appearance. Florian cleared his throat and everyone present became silent in anticipation of what their monarch would say.

"I welcome you all on the occasion of celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. My lovely queen and I appreciate the support and loyalty you've given us from the very beginning. The peace in our lands has proved strong and enduring for all these many years. I humbly thank you."

Quiet applause erupted around the banquet hall. Many people nodded their heads in solemn approval. Florian looked all around the room, making eye contact with many of his long-time friends and counselors. Finally, his gaze settled upon his celebrated wife, Her Royal Majesty Benevolence of Montagne and Queen of Drachensbett, or just Ben as he called her. She looked resplendent in her scarlet gown with gold trim and cut obsidian jewelry. The years had been kind to her and her gentle plumpness gave her an even more regal bearing than in her younger days. Florian's dark eyes sparkled with a mischievous gleam, and his lips twitched slightly under his salt-and pepper mustache, as Ben slightly inclined her head toward him with a smile of her own.

"The Queen, at long last, has given me permission to tell the tale of one of our most private jokes. Many of you have seen the result of this jest - that being her royal highness' most inappropriate fits of giggling at the most inopportune times. This, I must confess, is my fault entirely."

There were chuckles and twitters throughout the grand hall, as people recalled their queen's odd behavior at times. Everyone knew that the king and queen had an unusually jovial marriage, and their seven children seemed proof enough of a happy marriage bed. Now however, everyone quieted to hear the king speak. Florian was a gifted storyteller, and he never failed to amuse even the stuffiest of foreign diplomats and ladies.

"But first, I shall offer a toast!" Florian proclaimed.

"A toast! A toast!" The people responded, raising their goblets.

"To my most magnificent, intelligent, gorgeous, brave, kind, thoughtful, and loving wife Benevolence - I love you deeply and forever. I won!"

With that, Florian bent down and gave Benevolence a deep and not entirely decorous kiss, while their guests drank to their health and happiness and began to applaud and whistle loudly.

Florian stood up straight again and added, "Oh, and long live the Queen!"

Choruses of "Long live the Queen!" filled the hall, as well as more applause, as the monarchs kissed again.

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**A/N: This is my first fanfic for Princess Ben. I hope you like it. Please read & review. Thanks!**


	2. The Tale of a Kiss

**I Won!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Princess Ben - Catherine Gilbert Murdock does and I thank her for my latest "playground."**

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**"The Tale of a Kiss"**

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_"A toast! A toast!" The people responded, raising their goblets._

_"To my most magnificent, intelligent, gorgeous, brave, kind, thoughtful, and loving wife Benevolence - I love you deeply and forever. I won!"_

_With that, Florian bent down and gave Benevolence a deep and not entirely decorous kiss, while their guests drank to their health and happiness and began to applaud and whistle loudly._

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I suppose you could say that I am a romantic person. I'm not quite sure how I came about these thoughts, but I absolutely believe in true love. I always have. I am the only son of an only son. My mother died when I was very young, and I barely remember her. I'm sure she loved me and cared for me, but I wish I had known her better. My father, King Renaldo was one of the strongest rulers of any of the nations in our world, and yet I knew that he and my mother had shared a perfect love. Although he never remarried while I was young, and rarely spoke of my mother, I knew my father believed in true love, too. We lived a quiet life, in relative peace with our neighbors, including the troublesome Montagne, a tiny but rich kingdom in our midst.

Our kingdom, Drachensbett, the "bed of dragons," completely surrounded the little monarchy of Montagne with our tall mountains, but they were fiercely proud and quite tough. They possessed the most fertile cropland and never faced the fear of a famine or failed crops. I must confess that we were jealous of our neighbor. From time to time, my father would mention that there was a royal princess in Montagne and perhaps Drachensbett could truly feed its entire population well, if the two nations were joined through marriage. I didn't think much of that idea, because I hadn't heard much about the princess. She had not yet been presented as eligible, so there was little to consider. Besides, there had always been a prophecy about my future wife, in that she would be a princess whom I would awaken and win her hand. That, to me, foretold of true love at its best. The Montagne princess was never a prospect in my mind.

When Montagne's King Ferdinand was killed by one of the dragons that inhabit our high mountains, my father and I went to offer our sincere condolences to the royal family. The widow, Queen Sophia all but accused us of lunacy over our belief about the dragon attack. It was obvious that she somehow held Drachensbett responsible for the death of her husband. When we left, I told my father how insulted I felt, but he would not hear ill of the bereaved queen. It was clear to me that this might be the best time to consider taking over Montagne by force. My father was reluctant, but he agreed to let our army's leaders draw up plans and make preparations anyway.

I enjoyed going out on military maneuvers with my best friend, Johannes, who was also a Captain in our army. We were like the closest of brothers. He and I had served as squires at court together when we were boys. We got into many minor scrapes and sometimes bigger trouble with my father. The king would always sigh and lecture me about being a better example to the people I would have to lead someday. Reluctantly, I left the camp and returned to the castle for more tedious instruction on my duties to marry and produce heirs for the kingdom, and my responsibilities to care for all the people. One day, Johannes came into the throne room with the best news ever. Some scouts had discovered a passageway through our treacherous mountains that would allow our whole army to march down and overtake Montagne by surprise.

I had thought my father, _the King_, would be ready to conquer our smaller neighbor by force, but that very same day, he had received an invitation to a ball at Chateau de Montagne. Apparently, the queen intended to marry off her young niece, the princess, in the hopes of securing a solid alliance for her country. My father wanted to allow every possible chance for a peaceful union between our countries - he wanted _me_ to win the hand of Montagne's princess. Don't get me wrong, I was not eager to spill blood, it's just that I couldn't see how my wooing the obviously young (as she was only now being presented) princess would fulfill my prophetic destiny. I did convince my father to allow Johannes and his men occupy a camp at the mountain pass, in order to be ready to strike if we needed to do so.

That ball was a _disaster_! The Princess Benevolence was a true horror of a girl. I had always thought myself to be a reasonable man, and I tried to reason with my father about this terrible little (well, not so _little_) creature. She was rotund, she couldn't dance, and she couldn't carry on a decent or civil conversation. She actually seemed rather dimwitted, and I almost felt sorry for her people. The Princess was not at all appealing to me and I told my father this. He warned me to keep my tongue, and so I wandered off to dance with some better looking and much more pleasant company. We were interrupted by shrieks and cries of alarm, as the Queen and her entourage shouted about a witch and the Princess being harmed by some sort of enchantment and all sorts of commotion. We left Montagne and returned the Drachensbett as soon as we could. But then we heard the most remarkable news - the Princess Benevolence required the kiss of a prince to awaken her from her enchanted sleep. Appealing or not, my destiny was never clearer!

Eventually, I made my way back to the mountain camp to visit with Johannes and tell all the soldiers that our troubles would soon be over. Unfortunately, while I was there, my friend became deathly ill with a feverish cough and his fool of a healer/cook was not much help. Fortunately, our soldiers had captured a Montagne boy whose mother had been a competent healer, and he had paid attention enough to be of great help. That prisoner lad, "Piglet Ben" the men called him, was a godsend. He nursed Johannes back from the brink of death. I stayed with them the whole time, helping in whatever way I could, and so I had a few conversations with the boy. At one point, when Johannes was definitely on the mend, we embarrassed the lad by speaking of matters of the heart - and other body parts. I can still remember the blush on that boy's face. I was grateful to Ben for helping my friend and I even entertained thoughts of rewarding him by handing the boy over to our castle healers for proper training. In a horrible turn of events, the foolish lad insulted me in front of my men, so I decided to execute him instead - _after_ the issues with Montagne were solved. I didn't find out until much later that he had escaped from our prison.

When I arrived at Chateau de Montagne, Queen Sophia escorted me into a very quiet, very blue room, where the Princess lay sleeping her enchanted sleep. The Queen left me there, by myself, with the Princess. At first, I just strutted over to kiss the girl, but then my mind was flooded with a thousand thoughts, especially when I saw that, even in her sleep, Princess Benevolence wore a scowl. The insulting words of "Piglet Ben" came back to me, mocking me:

_"You wish the joys of true love upon every milkmaid and stable boy in your land, and yet you consign yourself and another to lives of pure misery that you might possess a well-proportioned ballroom."_

I turned away from the sleeping, scowling Princess, walked over to the window and pressed my face against the cool glass. The view from the window was almost overwhelming. I could see a perfect little courtyard below. The lush plants and beautiful flowers of the green Montagne valley made me think - was my kingdom's happiness and prosperity worth more than my own? Must I be shackled to this sullen and witless Benevolence? How could I ever compel myself to fulfill my duty to beget heirs with a woman I did not love? As I pondered all of this, I remembered passing by the hardscrabble little farms of Drachensbett. I remembered the land which had to be coaxed year after year to provide for the people. With a sigh, I took one last look at Montagne's fertile land, and turned back toward my country's future.

I closed my eyes, trying to envision a different, lovelier face, and leaned in for my kiss of destiny. Suddenly, I heard a low, growling voice say to me, "_Don't you dare._" My eyes flew open and I must have leaped back five feet. There before me, to my utter horror, was the image of the prisoner lad, Ben, within the person and dress of the Princess Benevolence. My mind could not comprehend this. I thought I was going insane. I sputtered in my confusion, trying to identify the person in front of my disbelieving eyes.

Then I heard the voice rasp, "_I am Ben._"

I was so shocked and scared; all I could do was run from that bedeviled room and escape that evil place. I did not understand what sort of sorcery was happening, but I knew I was not safe there. I spurred my horse toward Drachensbett, and never looked back. Surely, my kiss of destiny was not meant for _that_ princess.

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**A/N: Please read and review. Thanks!**


	3. The Tale of a Dragon

**I Won!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Princess Ben - Catherine Gilbert Murdock does and I thank her for my latest "playground."**

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_I was so shocked and scared; all I could do was run from that bedeviled room and escape that evil place. I did not understand what sort of sorcery was happening, but I knew I was not safe there. I spurred my horse toward Drachensbett, and never looked back. Surely, my kiss of destiny was not meant for that princess._

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**"The Tale of a Dragon"**

I never wanted to return to the cursed Chateau de Montagne, but after I told my father what happened (leaving out the preposterous bit about Benevolence being the same person as "Piglet Ben") he insisted that I lead the diplomatic delegation back there to deliver the terms for Drachensbett's Claim of Benevolent Succession upon Montagne. This would allow us to absorb Montagne into our borders without bloodshed, revolution, or anarchy, especially since we found the heir apparent to be so unsuitable to rule a country. The king and I had worked with our most senior statesman on the precise wording of the Claim, adding in several of my own choice adjectives to describe the horrible qualities embodied in the now-despised Princess. My father was deeply concerned that our neighbors not fall into the hands of so awful a ruler. He truly felt compassion for the people of Montagne. We made quick work of it and soon arrived back at Chateau Montagne to deliver our Claim.

Queen Sophia clearly was shocked when our ambassador read the document to her and her advisors. At one point, however, our ambassador made it seem as though I had something to do with the Princess coming out of her unconscious state. I had to defend myself; I would not let anyone believe that my lips had ever touched that foul creature.

"_We did not kiss! Nor shall we ever!_" I growled.

Our statesmen did a credible job of conveying the seriousness of Drachensbett's Claim, as well as the sincerity of King Renaldo's concern for the people of Montagne. We requested the Queen's decision within two months, but her elder statesman, Lord Frederick, parried and requested four months. I was not pleased that our ambassador gave in so easily, and so I barely spoke to him as we rode back to give the news to my father. I was upset when the four months had finally passed, but Montagne pressed for yet another delay. The Queen and her council agreed to our Claim, but requested that we wait until after their harvest celebrations. Unbelievably, they were going to present Princess Benevolence _again_ at their autumn ball, and they desired for my father to reassess her alleged potential to rule. When my father agreed to all of this, I was livid.

"Father, _Your Majesty_," I implored. "Can't you see that Montagne will never stop delaying? First it's one ball, then it's the Princess' supposed enchantment, now it's the harvest and yet _another_ ball. What will be next - wait for the first snow or the last snow? The first lambs of spring? Father, _please_, don't be deceived by any more delaying tactics!"

"Florrie," my father replied in a tired voice, using my childhood nickname, "I would do the same if I were in their place. I would do everything in my power to hold off the inevitable. Queen Sophia knows her niece better than we do, but I'm sure she does not want to see her country fail, as it surely would if Princess Benevolence assumes power. The Queen must give the girl every chance or it would seem that she is just giving us her country outright."

"You're just being too soft-hearted," I accused my father. "You realize that while they delay us with balls and such, they are still constructing their barrier to our mountain pass. I told you that I was sure our escaped prisoner would reveal our secrets."

"Yes, my son. But we both know that our army is bigger than their army, and they cannot withstand a siege. You will lead our army to victory, if need be, but I pray there will be no need."

Suddenly, my father looked straight into my eyes and asked, "Have you spoken to the Princess since she was revived? Was she with the Queen when you delivered our Claim?"

I was taken aback by his abrupt question, but the dark expression on my face must have spoken volumes. His shoulders sagged.

"Alright then, Florian. Prepare your soldiers to attack at the next full moon. Montagne must be shown that we will not be played for fools."

I was so happy to be planning for war - finally. Johannes and I had laid out a full plan already, so we briefed the king that evening. We sent out sets of spies to monitor the progress of Montagne's wall construction, and to discover where their weaknesses were. We were very busy with all the preparations and inspections. Most nights, I was so tired I could barely remember undressing for bed. But that was when the dreams started.

I dreamed I was in a bedchamber, not unlike the one in which the Princess had been laid out at Chateau de Montagne. Unlike that horrible time, I felt completely at ease, even eager, as I approached the sleeping girl. I saw my dream self reach out and touch the girl's hair softly, and she stirred in her sleep. This Benevolence was lovely to behold as her eyes fluttered opened and she smiled at me as I leaned in for a kiss. No! I startled myself awake. That dream was truly a nightmare. The _real_ Princess was nothing like the person in my dreams - if she were, then I would have to fight off all her other suitors. Night after night I would have some variation of the dream. I began to long for the dream version of Princess Benevolence, and became bitter upon waking and knowing she did not exist.

The evening before our planned attack, we discovered that two of our spies had gone missing. We could not determine if they were victims of a dragon, or if they had been captured. No matter, nothing would prevent us from sweeping down into Montagne and claiming it by force. Johannes ordered the men to cut down a huge tree to use as a battering ram against the Montagne barricade and we began to attack. Everything was going as planned.

Suddenly, our soldiers started shouting and pointing up at the sky. I couldn't believe my eyes, but there above us was a red dragon. It seemed to be rather small, but it spit out a substantial amount of fire toward our battering ram. The men scattered. Fortunately, the archers kept their wits and started firing arrows at the beast. Something did not seem right to me and as the red swooped down nearer to me, I could see that the blasted thing had the face of Princess Benevolence! I gaped in surprise, but did not have time to do anything to rally my soldiers, because I was suddenly hit with a blob of something brown and squishy. One of the archers finally hit the so-called dragon and my suspicions were confirmed when I spied the tufted end of a broom sticking out slightly from the billowing "tail" of the flying beast as it turned sharply away from its attack. Sorcery! Treachery! Oh, that Princess would now pay dearly. I had been prepared to offer mercy, but now I just wanted to crush little Montagne to bits for harboring such a witch.

Unfortunately for me, my army thought that it was a bad omen that our country's own mascot had chosen to defecate upon me (for that's what folks assumed the brown substance was). I could not calm my men. They would not listen to my cries of treachery, and they would not return to their posts. It was chaos! Even Johannes was spooked, and I could not reach him across the battle area before he ordered a full retreat. I was so humiliated. How had she done it? How had she outwitted me again? I swore to myself that I would get my revenge - I would expose her for the witch that she really was. No one would make a fool of me!

And yet, she already had done so. I heard the murmurs among the men as I passed by. I saw how some of them turned their heads in shame - if not for their own cowardice, then certainly for the new nickname they had given me, _Prince Chamber Pot_. The men all _thought_ they had seen a dragon relieving itself on me. I _knew_ I had seen Benevolence in a red gown and headdress laughing and mocking me. Now I loathed the Princess with every fiber of my being. Witch!

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**A/N: Please Read and Review. Thanks!**


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